Episode 268: Your Birth Chart Is a Business Plan | KJ Atlas on Astrology, Location, and Power
Astrologer KJ Atlas helps people make decisions by reading the stars. In this episode, Kara and KJ explore how location astrology, birth charts, and planetary timing can reveal insights about career, home, and identity. They also discuss chronic illness, intuition, and why KJ created the Grove Almanac to make astrology practical, accessible, and powerful.
“The wheel of astrology is changing all the time. It’s cosmic weather. We feel it because as above, so below. We’re made of stardust and we’re connected to the stars, the earth, the animals. We can’t escape it.”
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Follow along using the Transcript
Chapters:
(00:00:01) – Why Astrology Is Like Weather and Why It Matters for Business
(00:04:00) – What Is Locational Astrology and How It Can Change Your Life
(00:10:15) – Healing Through Movement, Location, and Self Knowledge
(00:16:30) – The Power of the Lilith Archetype and Owning Your Shadow
(00:22:00) – What Most People Get Wrong About Astrology and Mercury Retrograde
(00:28:10) – Building the Grove Almanac and Redefining Astrology for Modern Life
(00:34:30) – Planning, Pitching, and Finding Strength in Self Awareness
(00:40:00) – How Astrology Helps You Know Who You Are and Show Up Fully
(00:46:00) – How to Work With KJ and Start Using the Grove Almanac
Astrology is like the weather. It's all around us, and it's also within us. It's our energetic blueprint, and there's so many ways that it intersects with business and can make it so much more personal. And just overall better for you as the business owner.
That's KJ Atlas. I'm Kara Duffy, and this is the Powerful Ladies Podcast.
Welcome to the Powerful Ladies Podcast.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm really excited to chat with you. I am too. I, we had a great experience when I booked you based on a friend's recommendation. And it was so great that I then gifted my team Zooms with you for Christmas, maybe two years ago now.
And it was so great to finally meet you in person in LA for our last in person event.
So great. It was amazing, by the way. Thank you. FYI to anyone else go back and listen to it because it was really really powerful.
Thank you Well, let's tell everyone your name where you are in the world and what you're up to
My name is KJ Atlas. I currently live in Los Angeles by way of many different places, and I'm a professional astrologer, and I focus on business astrology and locational astrology.
Most people don't know how astrology impacts business or location. So what can you tell us about how astrology impacts those two spaces?
Astrology is like the weather. It's all around us and. It's also within us. It's our energetic blueprint, and there's so many ways that it intersects with business and can make it so much more personal and just overall better for you as the business owner, for example, your natal chart, which everyone has, and it's not repeated for 25, 000 years.
It's incredibly unique shows you exactly how you're supposed to run your business. And there's a lot of it. template style, here's how to do your business. And I'm neurodivergent. I have diagnosed ADHD. I love doing things differently. I've always been a different style learner. And when I started to get into astrology, I was like, Oh, this makes more sense because this is how I'm supposed to do it.
And it's different from what this person says that works really well for them. And there's no wrongs. It's just, you know, different. That's one way that I use it. And the other way is time tracking. When's the best time to do things? When is the time where you should be editing and resting and not launching?
Because astrology is kind of like the waves of the ocean. There's certain times where you want to jump up on the board and ride it. And there's certain times where you want to like hang back and just chill.
Well, and we're so good at forcing things for those of us who are more A type, usually the people launching businesses and If we are listening, we can feel we're not supposed to do something, but it doesn't mean that we actually listen.
So I feel like when someone has a clear guide of now is probably not the right time, you can relax into it and be like, oh, okay, good. Like that's what I was hoping. We put so much pressure on us. I think
it helps validate your information.
Mm hmm, mm hmm. You and I initially connected because I booked a location based session because I was like, what is that? I've never heard of it. This sounds fascinating. So what is locational astrology?
When you pull a chart of any kind, you use the date. The time and the location, and no one really thinks much about this part, but if we're, if we zoom out and we think, okay, we're looking at a map of the sky, our vantage point, the location on earth that we're at has influence to that.
That's the foundational idea of locational astrology. This really came about in the 1970s once everyone started to be able to travel. More frequently, more accessibly, and there's this idea that works really, really well, but I will say that it's a very new branch of astrology where when you go to new places throughout the world, you can access different parts of your psyche, your soul, guided by the planets or placements in the birth chart.
So some places might be very Venutian and beautiful and full of good food and love and just a grand old time. And some places might be very Saturnian, which is like, I have deadlines to meet. I have, I need to be disciplined. I need to work really hard. And so it's kind of just like different flavors and your own little personal vortices around the world.
Yeah, when, when you and I had that session together and I really recommend everyone do it because it just, it's fascinating to see your own chart laid across the globe. It was so interesting to see for the, for simplifying it, good lines going through places that I felt good in and bad lines going through places that I did not feel good or had a bad experience or something like that.
wrong happened. I've been bad, just wrong. And it was so validating to see that. And then it was also really interesting to see where, you know, I'm, I consider Boston home and to see that there was a line going through kind of Boston and New York that would always make me feel more connected. Like I'd have more community, have more.
Yeah. And I always feel that when I'm there and of course it could be from having grown up there and having more people and more familiarity, but it is, I haven't lived there in a really long time and that still always feels where I am most like cared for. In, in that way where even having a bigger community, maybe out here, I don't feel that same cared for feeling because I'm not living in a place that is community.
A community line.
Totally. It's definitely a, you think, because not everyone can say that about their hometown. So you're very lucky to have that. And I believe it was a moon line. It was something of that nature of like the moon line, like you're safe and cared for. It was one of the benefits and. Not everyone has that, that's how I found vocational astrology because I did not have that and I was like, why is this so difficult when everyone else is seeming to be totally fine?
Yeah. Yeah. How did you get into this and what eight year old do you expect this to be your life?
Not exactly, but something of the sort. I remember as a kid picking up my mom with the magazines, like, you know, the, it. Those kind of magazines like the here's five weight loss tips. Here's you know What is jennifer aniston doing like all the things the wellness magazines and I loved it I love magazine culture and I was like, I want to write these like wellness articles.
I was like I want to you know talk about fashion and I didn't know it was like metaphysics and astrology, but I love the horoscope section and I love like the the personal growth stuff I was kind of obsessed with it and I didn't realize it But if you had asked me what I thought my career was gonna be I thought I was gonna be an actress As a lot of little girls think they're gonna be
and you kind of are Acting in a way that you're creating all this content.
Now. You're creating an audience
Yeah, and I I went to I went to college for that the first time around and You the universe guided me in another direction, very literally, because I got so sick that I had to drop out of college when I was at art school. And then I went home and took all this time to recuperate and I got really obsessed with learning about health and wellness again and all the things.
And I'm like, how can I support my mind and my body and my spirit while I'm healing from this autoimmune disease? And it becomes a really holistic practice. And I think astrology is like the language of holistic practice. because it helps us connect the mind and the body and our experiences and the events of nature outside of us.
It's like that. It is the sixth sense.
And how did you get into this? How did this become your career path?
It started with the health stuff when I came back and I really started to explore health and I was always going to the thrift shop. and getting these books off the shelf. And I remember I got a palmistry book. I got a book about chakras and a book about Vedic astrology. So that was my gateway into it because I loved Aura Veda.
And then I was like, Oh, Vedic astrology sounds like that. They have to be connected. And they, they kind of are. So that was my gateway into it. I was like when this all started and I just thrust myself into it. I went and I went to some lady's house when I was really young and I walked through her garden just to like get a birth chart reading in her home.
And it's like, this is so random. I don't even know why I'm doing this. And it was really expensive for the time because I was like a teenager and I was just really fascinated. I was like, I feel like there's a lot of answers in this and I need to know. And the longest time I was very frustrated. Because it feels like when you go to a foreign country and you're like, I so badly want to be able to dialogue this and You can't and that's what it felt like looking up looking at a birth chart was I so badly want to be able to speak it and I couldn't And when I was maybe like 15, I found the Portland School of Astrology online and I was like, mom, I want to go here for college and she's like, that's not, that's, you can't do that.
Like you have to go to a university. And I was like, okay, well, bucket list one day. And then by way of many different chance happenings, I met my partner, we moved to Portland and we were there and I was like, I have to go to this school, like I have to do this. And I was so embarrassed to like, say out loud that I wanted to do this.
And there was a lot of witch wounding there, if you know that term. Yeah. Like, being afraid to really step into that magic and that power because of so much of. our female history of persecution and, and I did it and it just unlocked everything. And I just learned so quickly after that. And I was learning vocational astrology while I was doing it.
And my whole wife came online. I was like, Oh my God, I've been living on a Saturn line in my hometown. That's why I went through all of these horrible experiences. So I developed a chronic illness and I was constantly just climbing and gripping so hard. To do the things that seemed so easy and then as soon as I moved west my life opened up
It's so crazy how a place can shift everything.
Yeah Yeah, it does and sometimes the answer is to move, you know People say don't run away from your problems and I totally agree with that but if you're finding yourself repeating the same patterns and there's just this density and heaviness and you're working really hard at making your life better and it just isn't glowing it might be a locational astrology problem and you might be better off if you check somewhere else out if you have the means to do so.
Well and I think there's a big difference between running away from your Problems that you don't want to deal with that will keep repeating themselves versus Leaping to a new space that feels more empowering. So yeah We don't want to run away from things that will keep repeating anyway
Yeah, I agree
when you say that your life came online I really love that phrasing of it because I think everyone's had in a moment Either in stepping into a new career, moving to a new place, meeting a different group of people where suddenly they went, Oh, like finally, this feels like I'm actually plugged in.
I had that experience moving to Germany and meeting all these people who I'm still close with, who felt like my people. For the first time, none of them were really, well, that's not true. We are from all over the world in that location, but you, it's a different experience when you feel that plugged in connectedness, how would you describe that feeling to someone who hasn't felt it?
It feels like freedom. And. I think, I think it's Willie Nelson that says freedom is being in control of your life and yourself and what you do. And that is what happened when I started to move west. I felt like I had freedom and I was safe in my nervous system to really be in my authenticity. I feel like I always was growing up and that's what made it hard because I just like, what you see is what you get.
Like, I'm not hiding anything. Like I'm going to be myself. I'm going to, you know, wear green eyeliner and probably wear a tutu to school and people might think that's weird, but I It was just it and when I moved to my sun line and then now my mars line there was this yang energy of aliveness that allowed me to really sit in this confidence of I'm here, I'm queer, and this is what you're gonna get, and I'm happy about it.
Yeah. It's a joke now, especially on like Overheard LA, about hearing about people in LA talking about things like, oh, I can't date him, he's a Virgo, or whatever their thing is. And it's, it's in this funny place where so many people are using astrology on a regular basis. Yeah. So many people have developed superstitions around it.
And yet, very few people want to acknowledge how much they're using it and relying on it. How do you manage that and how do you, what's your opinion about that?
To be honest, I think it's one of my biggest challenges, you know, it's one of the reasons why I get up in the morning because this stuff is so vast.
It's 12, 000 years old and what's so funny to me is that the people who've ruled astrology and created these systems up until about the 1960s were men. white men to be specific. And it's hilarious to me that because of the 1980s bouffant hair sidekicks, now it's like this hooky women's thing that's silly and like, Oh, women use this as a way to discriminate.
Like she's not going to date me because I'm an Aquarius. Like I've seen this term on Instagram called space racist or space racism. And I was like, what, what is that? I've seen it overheard LA comments, like men using it. And I realized this idea of discriminating against the signs. I'm just like, Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we have got to fix this.
This is not what this is supposed to be at all. Please don't use this vast tool for something that shallow. You know, it's like. When people say, I don't like Geminis or Scorpios, it's like, well, actually you do have both of those signs in your chart and they serve a function. They rule an area of your life.
Everyone has all 12 signs in their chart. Just because you don't have planets there doesn't mean that it doesn't matter to you or it doesn't affect you. And if there's a quality about a sign that shows up in a person and you don't like that person because of specific qualities, it says more about you and what you need to integrate and welcome in from your shadow than what the other person is doing.
And that's not to say that people don't have flaws, because that's for sure. Every single sign has light and dark, just like every single person. Full stop.
Yeah. I remember when I was maybe nine and my mother, I still have it, it's like a tiny book of astrology that she put in my Easter basket. Which is ironic for an Easter gift, but I still have it to this day and it's like the book of Libra and it talks about like who you are and your strengths and your weaknesses and how you get matched to different signs and what that means.
And. It's, it was like, I, it's on my bookshelf right now. And it was something so illuminating because I also love taking all the personality tests, all the things, because I think it's so interesting to learn about yourself because especially in relationship to other people, being someone who loves connecting and relationships, it's like being very Libra of me, but like seeing how we can optimize and make different relationships better or stronger based on having this tool, I think is always really interesting. And I really appreciate when. It's dead on. Yeah, there's been a couple Instagram accounts that I follow where they're like, just talk about like what, whatever sign is going through, or they had some memes about how different signs answer emails.
And I was like, how do they know? How do they know what my vacation automatic messages for my email?
Yeah, I love when memes are correct, you know, when there's like, I think memes are an excellent way to grab people's attention and get them interested. It's like a really good gateway drug and when they're spot on, create more.
Like, yeah, that's great. I love it. I love it. I think we do have to be careful because astrology is something that doesn't have an accreditation. Or, you know, it's not like a therapist or a doctor where you have to pass a certain level of testing or schooling. And that's why I feel very protective of it because I did go to school.
I went to a year long program. I got a certificate. I've hired mentors who've been doing this for 50 years and it is, it is very complicated. And that's the hard part is that it is very complicated. And the more you have, the more you simplify it, the more of the juice you lose. And the hard part is, is that you do have to simplify it for the masses.
And I think that's a big challenge I kind of face of like, How much do I, am I willing to water this down to reach a larger group of people while still keeping integrity? That's really important.
Like, how do you balance that? Like, have you just chosen to lean in on the people who want the details?
Yeah, I try to keep it positive, but not bypassing positive. I try to keep it helpful, and here's practical things that you can do. And I also keep it transparent, you know, I don't want to just say like, Oh, this season is going to be great for Aries. It's like, well, I, I do want to educate a little bit, and say like, here's what it is.
But stick with me, stick with me, I'm going to explain it, so that you know, even though all those jargony words can be really confusing, but I want you to know that I'm going to explain it. And I think the biggest part that's the challenge lately is The reach on social media, because I see a lot of these accounts that have hundreds of thousands, millions of followers, and I see the content that's put out, and it really breaks my heart because it's it is really watered down, or it's inaccurate, or there's like these very inaccurate exaggerated statements like all Capricorns are going to be rich in 2024. I'm like, that's false hope. It doesn't work like that. I don't want to be the Scrooge. It's like, no, no, no. But you know, we do have to kind of keep each other accountable and be like, Hey, be careful who you're listening to. Be careful who you're taking information from, because if it sounds too grand and good, it probably is.
Well, and the concept you're making I think is amazing. Like whenever you're talking about the impact of this eclipse and what to look for. And like, I love, you are educating in a way that is interesting as well as informative. I'm going through every single like carousel you have. I'm like, and then what? And then what? And because it really feels like you have our back. Like it, how you just described it is how it's coming across. Like, You want to have our back. You want us to have real information. You want us to know the, the why behind the, where things might be coming. And it actually gives me so much context when I do see one of those other high level surface posts go out and I'm like, Oh, but that was only like the first sentence in your 10 part slide.
That I so like I understand what it means. It means so much more than that, but it's it is It's unfortunate for people who are just like, okay, i'm gonna be rich. Bye. I'll go back to bed. You're like
Well, thanks for reflecting that back to me libra, which is what libras are really good at but that There's like the greatest gift you could have given me. So thank you for that. I really appreciate it
You're so welcome. You know, a lot of what I hear in you talking about how important astrology is to you is empowering people. So what does it mean to you to like, how would you define the words powerful and ladies and does their definition change when they're next to each other?
The definition doesn't change when they're next to each other, I think it gets stronger because women are inherently powerful. When I think about the female archetype, I don't necessarily gravitate towards Venus, I think of the moon. And the moon is just as strong as the sun, and we get just as much time as the sun with the moon.
And we also have a dark side of the moon, which is Lilith. And the Lilith archetype is immensely powerful. And I think it's really untapped in our collective. A lot of women don't really access their Lilith side. When we put this together, we realize that ladies are, are powerful. And when we're reminded of the dark side of the moon, it's like, Oh, well, yeah, of course.
But there's still so much left to harvest and mine from that. And we can do so by creating women's circles, giving the microphone to other women, sharing the stage and supporting other women, especially younger women. Because that's the only way we're going to continue to elevate and rise and be strong and powerful for multi generations.
Like, how can women use the Lilith dark side of the moon power to, to step into a new level?
Well, there's a lot of layers. In my own journey, I think, I think it's to start to decondition those layers of shame. Those layers of being a good girl. I was raised in the Bible Belt. You know, there's a lot of the, cross your legs, be polite, don't say too much, don't take too much space, smile.
Ugh, exhausting. And when we start to decondition some of those things, and we shut out all the noise, and we get down to the root, And say, what do I actually want? You know, what are my core values? What do I desire in this life? You know, we can kind of carve our own route. We get to do anything for these values.
I will do anything to reach those goals. And when we have these false goals, then it's like, Oh yeah, I think I want a husband and a white picket fence and a golden retriever, that sounds idyllic. And if you want that, then that's fine. amazing. But I think your birth chart is a good tool to take you back and look and see, what am I actually here to experience and love and do?
Like, for example, are my values unconventional? Are they different? Am I trailblazing a new path? Or are my values more traditional and related to family? Because both are fine. And when you shut out all the noise and get to the root of that, and you say, okay, this is what gets me foaming at the mouth. This is what I get up for.
And I will fight for this. That's it. And I think there's this kind of plutonic maintenance quality that women have where it's kind of like, I'm not going to fight, but I will stand here and I will withstand and I will hold this plank position for five minutes. Just watch me. That's where the power comes from. It's from a very gentle staying power and that's a force.
It's almost as if it's, if it's that internal power that it's not about taking it from somebody else, which I think is so often how power is used.
It's like, I'm not going to budge from this because this is the truth and I'm going to stick to that. And from that comes authenticity. And when you're in that authenticity, it really triggers people and it inspires the right people.
I just shared a post in my stories today, a TED talk of a woman sharing. Why we don't like powerful women as a society and it went so much that conditioning that you were talking about of women who stand up for what they believe in and women who don't want to smile and women who are Mad about something because usually when women when powerful women get mad My experience is they're not mad for themselves.
They're not mad for like petty reasons. Like they're mad because of it's an injustice. Like it's just like, like it's hurting more people than it's helping. And It was so interesting to see it just put in black and white reflecting to everyone. This is how we're told women should be. This is how we're told men should be.
We get mad when people aren't following those specific standards. And I think it's such a cool time to be alive in seeing all those stereotypes coming apart. And as you said, like, whichever things you want to grab onto that make you feel excited and lit up, awesome. And giving people the, the both freedom to choose the alternative path or the traditional path and know that both of them have all the power that they might want in them, it's, it's nice to have that freedom.
Well, I think it's getting, like you said, it's getting better. The Gen Z and Gen Alpha, they're so different from Millennials and Gen X. Like, they don't, they don't have to come out to their parents, you know? If they're dating someone of the same sex, they're just like, Oh, I need to, I need to what? Like, it just kind of goes over their head, you know?
Like, they don't fathom racism. They don't even fathom these ridiculous constructs that we hold on to, that we've been tricked into believing in our society. I, I think we're moving through it. And I think in just a couple of generations, it's going to be like, well, of course, women are powerful. Like, duh, it's going to be one of those things. It just kind of, again, goes over their head.
So you just launched this amazing new product that is going to help a lot of people. So let's tell everyone about it.
It's been a portal. I guess you could say I've been working on this for five years, but it finally crystallized into something really cool in the last two months. And it just came out. And it's a Google Calendar with astrology and with all of these gate portals and all of these spiritual things, but it doesn't just tell you. When it tells you what it tells you how and exactly what time it translates to your time zone because the beauty of the Google Calendars that no matter where you are in the world, it's gonna match to your time zone and Every single one of these entries because the wheel of astrology is changing All the time, like you're at a pause and you could see and look up at the sky and you could see with a naked eye all the planets they are just all around the circle all day long, making connections, high five in each other, battling with each other, like, you know, there's, it's cosmic weather.
That sounds so hokey, but it is And we feel it because as above so below we are made of stardust We are connected to these things just like the plants the ocean and the animals are connected to these things We're we're animals. We're very smart animals, but we are we're connected to it. And so when this is happening There's probably many many people who can relate to this but you've had those moments where you're like what the fuck is the moon doing today because Something is up And something is up usually there, there is something and that's what this calendar does is that it shows you by the moment what it is and also gives you practical advice written by me, no bots, no AI, none of that, no auto generated what to do with it to make better plans for your week ahead.
Like just last night, it helped me so much for myself because I saw there was this void moon period and they happen every two and a half days. And I could not for the life of me decide what I wanted for dinner, like first world problems for sure. But like, I was just in the spiral. Like I, I can't think for this very basic human need that needs to be met.
And because I knew that I was like, okay, there's like three places I can choose from to go get food. And then there's this like, Very easily preparable meal in the fridge. So I'm like, I was prepared and I got through it and I didn't force myself to work, which sometimes in the evening I get a second wind, not when the moon's void, you know, and that's one of these things about this calendar is that it can validate your experience and it can also help you plan ahead because you don't want to have a job interview or you don't want to launch something during a mercury retrograde or avoid moon.
And it's like, all these are just very esoteric terms that we might see on Instagram. But this is a tool that's with you every single day. It's for the whole year and every day has these descriptions written to show and tell you what you need to do and how to work with it. And I, I've heard a lot of people say they're really over that.
And I know the apps have a good purpose, you know, it can pull up your chart easily. It's a really great way to connect with people, but I've been in this industry for a long time and I know that those apps hire poets, not astrologers. And they use AI and auto generation to create these forecasts for the day.
So it lacks that human touch. It lacks that practicality that I've really, really worked hard to put into this calendar that is called the Grove Almanac.
There is nothing hokey to me about what you create. So it is refreshing to have a tool like that. And as I'm obsessed with calendars and using my Google calendar, the fact that just plugs in and integrates into what you're already doing. And it's just a good reminder to check in with I'm always asking people to put what is important to them in their calendar. And you're just kind of doing it for people.
Yeah, that's such a great tip too. I think I was doing it for myself for a really long time. I was putting like. I'm not going to talk about specific transits for myself and I'll still do that for myself.
But this is for the collective weather and it does help everyone. A lot of people have said like, Oh, what about my son? And what about this? And I really think we collectively need to sort of detach from the collective weather. My sign my horoscope my this because when we get these horoscopes I used to write horoscopes for two years and it is very difficult to Analyze everything that's happening for a day and then say how is it gonna affect this sign and this sign and also make it match Many different demographics.
It's an art and it's very difficult and that's why a lot of times horoscopes don't resonate for people Even if they're written by a wonderful astrologer So this is more of like here's the transit Most people are gonna feel this if you need proof I put on my Instagram story the other day. I did a poll I was like, are you feeling the Eclipse energy yet?
And 98 percent of 50 people that responded said yes And that kind of blew my mind. Like, I know people feel these transits, but 98 percent of people is wild. Wild to me. Like, we're all experiencing this. We just need to validate it and actually use it in our life in this practical way, just like we would use the weather forecast.
Well, and that's a great thing that I wanted to talk to you about because I have a lot of clients who will be like, well, we're on their session and they say, I can't sell things right now because it's mercury and retrograde. I can't call people. I can't do the work I need to do. And I always say, love that it's mercury retrograde.
If you think it is, I don't even know if that's validated when they say it often as an end. You have to still do what you need to do, no matter what's going on. So how can we, what can you do right now? And I mean, they'll, they'll also, so they use mercury retrograde as an excuse. They'll also use that they're a projector, not a generator.
They're bringing up their human design report. And I'm like, all of this sounds like we're hanging out in victim mentality. So how do we use what we know to our advantage? So what advice would you give someone who is. struggling to do what's on their to do list, and it's maybe because of mercury retrograde, or maybe they're using that as an excuse.
The thing about mercury retrograde, and I'll, I'll use as an example, and then talk about it more generally, because mercury retrograde is a major buzzword. Everyone loves it. It's a sexy term right now, and it's also misunderstood. So Mercury retrograde happens for three weeks at a time, three times a year.
It's about the same ratio that we sleep in our lifetimes. So we can think of it as like, Oh, these are a little rest pockets for three weeks at a time. The world doesn't work that way though. We can't just like, you know, maybe unless you're French I'm taking three weeks off, be back after summer. You know, I love that for them.
Americans, unfortunately can't really do that. I say use this as a time to do the things that you. Would do in your polishing phase, like go back and meticulously edit things. Everyone has something they can edit. Everyone has something that you can pull from the vault and. Do a flash sale. That's a great time if you're a business owner mercury retrograde Okay, i'm going to take this old course revamp it up quick cash high value.
There we go. Easy less work. People say they can't travel during retrograde. That's not true I have a whole blog that's like a guide on this like do all the things that your Paranoid dad would do at the airport arrive 30 minutes early print your boarding pass don't have any questionables in your Retrograde TSA bag that you bring through security.
All those things. Do not use it as a crutch. Do not use astrology in general as a crutch. You know, when you say, Oh, sorry, I'm late because I'm a Gemini. Sorry that, you know, I manipulated you because I'm, it doesn't matter. You know, everyone can do these things regardless of your sign or regardless of the energy that's going on.
You know, Mercury retrograde things are going to move at a slower pace, but You might turn down the pace, but you're still going to get stuff done. You might put one less task on your to do list, but you've still got to chip away at it. And for the people who were born during Mercury Retrograde, I'm one of those people.
I love a Mercury Retrograde because it's the time, it's the three week portal where I'm so clear. I write so much copy during a Mercury Retrograde. I write a ton of content. I plan out my next quarter in more detail. Because it happened three times a year. So it gives you this little portal where it's like, okay, I'm reviewing.
And then I'm also planning ahead. The only thing that I would say don't do during a retrograde for the best results, avoid buying a car, avoid signing a lease. I say this as someone who has had to sign a lease during a retrograde, because sometimes you do. And I did have to move in and move back out because they had to exterminate.
Think about with retrograde, it's always going to move forward and it's going to move back. So whatever you do, you buy the car, you're going to have to take it back for some maintenance. You're going to have to move out and move back in again. It's just a delay. It doesn't make people catastrophize it.
Yes. Yeah. They catastrophize it. And then make it into this thing where it's like, I can't do anything. I must lay here till it's over. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. That's not anything to do with retrograde. That's you being in your feelings and not in your powerful self.
Yeah. You can do anything that begins with an R E, review. Realign, refresh,
it's like, sounds like all 2020
was a retrograde.
Yeah. All of the R E's that, that you need to do, go back and do them during your retrograde and just move at a slower pace and be clear in your communications. Don't do any backend stuff where you're like, I'm going to, I'm going to omit this information, like be transparent.
You don't come back to haunt you. And I think it's a great time for a digital detox.
Ooh. Okay. I like that. I have one more random but personal question for the astrology world, which is my brother has been getting teased back to the, who you can date or who you can't, because he is a Gemini, Gemini sun and moon sign.
And he's like, this is bullshit. Girls are saying they can't say Gemini men. Meanwhile, he's so nice and such a great guy. So for someone who's a Gemini Gemini, what advice would you give them on their, the best qualities that they should be sharing with the world?
Well, I'm a Gemini son, so you're in the right place.
And we do get a Lot of hate in the astrology world. What's so funny is I thought that I wasn't gonna get into astrology school 'cause I was a Gemini because I knew how hated, and my teacher thought it was so funny. He said, Aries. And he's like, that's insane. He's like, yeah, you know, but what? You know what people say?
And you know what I think it is, is that Gemini has this duality, quality. Gemini is a mirror and we will mirror to you what you're giving to us. So Geminis can be incredibly charming and incredibly kind. And we can also be the exact opposite of that if that's what we're giving because Gemini is quick witted so we can be sharp and snarky and witty and sarcastic if you're given some heat and also the most lovable, kind, sociable, bubbly people.
Americans don't like anything that's not black and white, from my experience. You know, other cultures are like, oh yeah, these two things can exist at once. And the Western world loves, this is data, this is fact, and this is the way it is. And Gemini says, Hmm, I collected a new piece of information today. My opinion has shifted a little bit because of that.
And so people will say, Oh, Gemini's are flaky or manipulative. Well, perhaps maybe some people, maybe some Gemini's who are not living their highest self. Every sign has that lower self and the Gemini in their highest expression is social, always connecting with people, asking people about their day, talking to strangers.
curious and always in a course or reading a book stretching and stimulating the mind and working with the hands is really good for Gemini. So I'd say to your brother, like go sign up for a pottery class. Cause you might find another like Gemini lover in the room chatting and like using your hands or something like that.
Like a pasta making class where, you know, there's that social element, but you're handy working with something that's very different. People think Gemini's are cheaters because there's this like duality. of like, I want this, and I want this too, and I guess that is possible for some demonized, but I've never cheated on anyone.
I've been in a monogamous relationship for seven years, and you know, it's, I love variety, so take me to sushi, so I can have lots of little bites of different things, you know, it's find different ways to, you know, Seek out that variety and stop hating on Gemini's and Scorpio's.
Exactly. My sister's going to laugh when she edits this podcast, knowing that I asked that question for our brother.
So I want to come back to you and the, who you've become as you've stepped into getting plugged in and. Being more public with your brand and how you can help people. How has that changed your life?
There's not a day that goes by that. I don't know who I am And I think that's a really rare quality in this world. I I know myself so intimately and so deeply That it's very easy to act from that place of conviction And curate my life around that. And I think it's something that I want everyone to be able to have and to do.
And, and astrology has helped do that so much to know what is real and to accept the things that are maybe real and also challenging, like I'm super sensitive. And I'm like, Oh God, I wish I could just cut this part out of me, be a little harder. And then I've learned to love like sensitivity is a really cool thing and I love that about myself.
And as you know, being in business will expose all of your shadows to yourself. There's no way around it. In the best way. And and so being in business has taught me a lot about those shadows and then looking at the chart has taught me a lot about how to work with them in the highest expression, you know.
I have a cancer moon and cancer moons feel things so deeply and I can get, I can take things really personally or get really defensive and like lock up like a little crab. And so I'm like, okay, what happens if I just let myself molt and my little tender crab meat is exposed for a second, what's the worst that could happen?
And so I kind of have allowed myself to stretch and to get really uncomfortable with my outer limits. And even just moving from, I was in Dallas on my sunline. Then I moved to the West Coast, I went to Portland, Oregon, I was there for five years and then I am now in L. A. for two years. And it was L. A. on my Mars line that really brought up all of my shadow with Mars.
Mars is that masculine, the initiative, the action, and my Mars is in Taurus. And Mars in Taurus is not the best placement in the system of astrology. And so I had to deal with my, my, Loathing of confrontation and my desire to just purely receive everything. And in the business world, you can't, you have to pitch yourself, you have to fight for yourself and you have to stand there and say, I'm the best at this every single day in many different languages and my mind and Taurus dies at that every single day and says, I just, just want to retreat and I don't want to cause any problems that I don't want to fight.
And so it has taught me how to fight. in a polite way that the bull does to stand there in the power and say, here we are, this is what we do and I'm not going to budge. And it has been a journey and I loved every bit of it.
We ask everyone on the podcast where you put yourself on the powerful lady scale, if zero is average, everyday human, and 10 is the most powerful lady you can imagine, where would you put yourself today? And on an average day?
Like a nine and a half today, like after this launch, I'm like, Oh, watch me world. I can do anything like, let's go. And you know, there's some days where I do feel like a two or three. And then I have a rainy day folder. I think everyone should have a rainy day folder. And it's a, a camera of camera roll album of all of the praises or achievements or photos of things that I could have only dreamt about at one point.
And then I did it and I put all those in a folder. And on those days where I feel like a two or three, I'm like, there you go. All right, let's go get some vitamin D and let's go look at these. Client wins and these amazing things that you've done and get yourself back up into that upper echelon of eight to ten.
So it varies, it varies. Some days I feel like a two and I try to feel like a nine most days.
I love that rainy day folder idea. That's a great thing to have. And I always tell people also to like be capturing all that stuff because it's great marketing content for you. The thing that makes you feel great are things that you need to be sharing with everybody. You, and you did it the other day. You shared a picture of someone bragging about the Grove Collective and how much it's already changed, you know, the, how they're viewing their life and their day. And you didn't have to brag about yourself at all. It was just them.
Yeah. Doing it for you.
It's so, it's so much easier. My Mars Torres loved it. Like, yeah, someone else receive, you know, but there are some days where I'm like, okay, I do have to peacock a little bit and I value humility. So like the humility value gets up against the marketing requirement. And so, you know, it's something we choose to navigate as business owners. To be able to share really valuable stuff with the people who need it
I asked my coach the other day If she had a magic wand, what would she give me? And she said I would like you to be cocky and arrogant And she meant it in the best way of like again, just wanting people who are doing good work like you are to Step into some of that cocky arrogant power so that you're seen within the noise of what's All the distractions there are because we want good people making the money because they'll do good things with it and when they They're making the money, they're helping other people.
So our last question for today, we've been asking everyone, how can we help you? What do you need? What's on your to manifest or to wish list? What can we help make come true for you?
Ooh, a genie lamp moment. Okay. If you listen to this and you're really curious, and maybe you've had an astrology session before and it was maybe not great, give me a chance because I've done a lot of cleanup work lately and that, that's not to say that I'm better than everyone else, but I do have a lot of experience.
I've had a lot of teachers. I've taken so many courses, I've read thousands of charts, and I'm obsessed with this, and I will always find an answer. And I can take my own experience, and I can meet a lot of people right where they're at, because I've been there in some way. So if you're kind of like, I'm interested in this, but I just don't know, just, Just give me a chance.
And then when you love it, go tell somebody else, because so much of this work is word of mouth. And I think even just an initial chart reading can open up so many doors of your own curiosity and rabbit holes to go down and explore yourself deeper. And I encourage everyone to just, just start to learn your birth chart.
There's a lot of different modalities out there. You know, I think human design has value. So many other things do too. But human design is based in astrology and there's a lot of richness there. And when I go look at my birth chart, I can still notice things. Like, it's a relationship you're going to forge for the rest of your life.
It's not a one and done thing. But, the information that you get from a professional's perspective on a chart reading is life changing. And then if you're like, well, you know, I'm really into the planning aspect, and I want to get to know astrology for planning purposes, get the Grove Almanac, because it's the best friggin tool out there.
Because I bought all of them, I've read all of them, I've used them, and I've looked and I've noticed where the gaps are. You know, I've found all the gaps, and then I created it to fill those gaps. So go explore your chart, do so in a way with integrity, check out the Grove Almanac, that's my genie wish.
And so where can everybody find you, follow you, book a session with you, and get the Grove Almanac?
I do everything on KJAtlas. com, K J Atlas, spelled exactly like it sounds. And I'm on Instagram way too much. So come say hi kj. atlas on Instagram because I'm on there every day and I like to talk to people. I really love social media for that purpose. The marketing part isn't fun, but I love the community.
So let's keep making it bigger. Come follow me. Let's make friends.
Well, thank you so much for being a yes to sharing your wisdom with the Powerful Ladies community and your time with me today. This has been such a pleasure. It's always fun getting to chat with you and hang out.
I love it. Thank you so much for having me, Kara. You are amazing.
All the links to connect with KJ, the Grove Almanac, and to book a session with her are in our show notes at thepowerfulladies. com. Please subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening and leave us a rating and review. Join us on Instagram at powerful ladies and at Kara underscore Duffy. And of course you can find me at Kara Duffy. com I'll be back next week with a brand new episode until then. I hope you're taking on being powerful in your life. Go be awesome and up to something you love.
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Created and hosted by Kara Duffy
Audio Engineering & Editing by Jordan Duffy
Production by Amanda Kass
Graphic design by Anna Olinova
Music by Joakim Karud
